


Shining Brightly

by dreamsdark



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Awkward Sexual Situations, Caramade Franks, Drunken Kissing, F/M, First Kiss, Gruvia - Freeform, Happy Ending, or just situations in general really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-19 07:55:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1461664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsdark/pseuds/dreamsdark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something's changing, and Gray can feel it, see it in the flow of Juvia's hair, the ocean of her eyes; nothing will ever be the same between them (he's still going to deny it till the end, though)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the first mistake

**Author's Note:**

> moved from my ff.net account
> 
> hm...they're canon-age so idk if you would consider that underage...just warning you  
> also the sex is kinda nondescript...

"Gr—" Whatever Juvia was going to say is swept away by the force of Gray's kiss, making her step back and crash painfully into a wall.

She wants to cry out—in  _pain_ , because that  _hurts_ , it hasn't even been four days after the Great Mage Games or whatever that was called _and has she really forgotten the name already_ —but it's  _Gray_  and Gray is  _kissing her_  and—

She doesn't return it, but doesn't fight it either, words ringing in her head.

_"I don't."_

Juvia still doesn't understand. Maybe Gray really doesn't love her—which will  _destroy_  her, tear her heart into  _shreds_  and that just _can't be true_ —or he was... _joking_?

_No, he wouldn't do something like that..._

She had brushed it off like one anyway, but it still  _hurt_.

"You— _look at me_ , Juvia." He grips her shoulders, eyes set on Juvia's own with a somewhat dazed look. Juvia blinks and focuses, trying not to stare at his chest—he isn't wearing a shirt as usual, blue guild mark displayed proudly. "You. What's with you?"

"Uh, Juvia doesn't understand..."

"You look. Um. Distracted?"

"Oh. I'm sorry." Did Gray really kiss her? It seems more like a hopeless fantasy but here's Gray standing in front of her, right  _now_ —and  _oh God_ it's _Gray_.

"Hello? Juvia, Juvia." Her name sounds beautiful, a gentle melody, called with his voice, and she wants him to say it over and over again, the strong hands shaking her shoulders a warm weight against them. "Earthland to Juvia, can you hear me?" He laughs, an odd lilting sound.

She shakes her head, and lifts a hand to run it across Gray's cheek, confirming this was actually reality. Juvia notices a drunk Lucy slumped on Natsu's shoulder, who's also sloshed, in her peripheral vision—the  _entire guild_  can see them, can't they?

Wait. Gray. Had.  _Kissed_. Her.

Somehow it's not as good as Juvia imagined; as a hopeless romantic, she'd wanted her first (with Gray) to be a gentle kiss, overflowing with love—what is she  _saying_. A kiss is a kiss and that's that. "Wha—" Is it the high off surviving? Even if they didn't actually beat any of the dragons... "Are you…drunk?" she asks carefully.

"I'm drunk off you, Juvia!" Definitely drunk. Gray would never say something disgustingly  _cliché_.

Something inside her breaks, something that wishes he was sober to actually feel it, remember it.

Gray leaves for a moment, getting another drink or two or three—there's no doubt he's absolutely smashed by now, after all it's celebration again, winning first place (and thirty million jewels!) is no easy feat—and when he comes back he's giggling, dragging the water mage down for another mind-blowing kiss, all tongue and touch and no emotion, no  _love_.

* * *

The next morning Gray wakes up on the floor, sunlight warm on his back and cheek pressed against soft skin— _what_.

He sits up and blinks, terrified, and when his vision clears from the haze of sleep—his head is pounding,  _fucking hangovers_ —he sees the smooth skin of a stomach.

 _Juvia's_  stomach. Juvia's  _bare_  stomach.

 _Fuck_.

Gray checks himself—they're both still wearing underwear, thank God, and he did  _not_  just stare at Juvia's panties (which are a sort of indigo, kind of like a night sky)—until he realizes that someone's hand is on his shoulder, which had shook him awake.

He knows that hand.

Gray freezes, then turns around slowly, dreading his next encounter.

It's Natsu. Of course it's Natsu. He has a devilish smirk pasted on his face—why did he decide to grow a brain  _now_?

"So—"

"Say one word and you're dead."

"...sock."

"What? Have you finally burned your brain out?"

"I said a _word_. Whatcha gonna do about it?

"You—insulting me, Pinkie?"

"Yes, sparkle brain."

"Sparkle—you trying to pick a fight, fire freak?"

"Bring it on, freeze-face!"

They stand glaring at each other until Natsu seems to realize something, a  _fucking evil_  smile growing on his face, and whispers one word into Gray's ear.

" _Juvia_."

Gray immediately flushes scarlet and he shoves the Dragonslayer away from him, who starts cackling loudly.

 _Shut up, shut the fuck up_ —Natsu succeeds in waking up the rest of the guild with his insane laughter— _it's fucking deafening, are you trying to break my eardrums_ —and Gray really wants to disappear.

Juvia rubs her bleary eyes, noticing her state of undress. She squeals, covering her chest with her arms and crossing her legs. "What...what's going on?"

"Dragneel. I will  _murder_  you." Gray captures that obnoxious face in a block of ice which is melted approximately 0.5 seconds later. He ignores him and turns to look at Juvia, who's managed to get her top on. His blush comes back full force at seeing her, and he looks away.

"Gray-sama..." Her face matches Gray's as she remembers the events of last night.

"I thought you wanted a fight, ice princess?" Natsu looks slightly more irritated now, bouncing around on the balls of his feet, beckoning with one hand. "Or you too busy making out?" Gray vaguely notices Erza—and Loke,  _what_ —behind him, still drowsy, and in the back of his mind he wonders if they also saw him.

If Erza did...it's a death sentence. But not before Natsu's (at least) six feet under. Gray looks positively homicidal now, and is in the process of strangling him—Gray can't tell whether Natsu is choking or laughing, but he hopes it's the former—when Lucy intervenes.

"Natsu..." she drawls out, leaning heavily on Natsu's back with arms draped lazily over his shoulders. "Come back..." She gives him a small push, sending them both tumbling forward. They crash into a chair and it falls onto Cana, who was somehow still asleep.

"Lucy! You stopped me from beating up Gray!" he whines.

Gray's about to make a comment about how it was the other way around when Lucy yawns, mumbling, "Don't care..." and falls asleep almost instantly on Natsu's back.

"Luce?" He carefully rolls over so Lucy's head rests on his chest, still looking uncomfortable. "Hey, don't fall asleep on me..."

Before the ice mage could say anything, he hears a shy voice behind him. "Uh...Juvia will be going now..." She stays on the floor and crawls out discreetly.

He follows Juvia, mostly out of boredom (and the little part of him that wants to follow her, take her in her arms and kiss her senseless, then—) first finding his clothes and slipping into them.

Juvia notices, and her heart fills with an odd mixture of relief and dread.


	2. spiraling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: new chapter everyday...when i'm not so sick i literally can't look at a computer screen straight _ _lll  
> uh i'm fine now...

They stop at an old bench near a park, with chipped gray paint and some type of fungus growing in the cracks, an oppressive silence hanging between them.

Juvia tries to break it, tries being the operative word. She opens her mouth, closes it, and opens it again, no sound coming out. Kind of like a fish. A dead one.

"Uh, you alright?"  _Well, that wasn't awkward. Nope, not at all._  Juvia nods, still silent.

"I'm sorry," he blurts out, not really knowing what for.

She still doesn't say a word, but tilts her head and furrows her eyebrows, clearly confused about his impulsive apology.

"I...shouldn't have—I was drunk, okay?" Suddenly, he's angry, probably at himself, and throws a fist into the old wood. "God, I didn't  _mean_  to—it's just so—" Gray makes some angry hand gestures, jerky and uncoordinated, and Juvia observes with a strange detachment.

"It's alright," she says, sounding like a machine, and quickly stands and walks away.

Gray doesn't try to stop her ( _mistake, mistake, mistake,_  his mind screams) and looks up at the sky, sunshine blinding him and heart twisting horribly.

* * *

An hour later, he gives up and follows her, knowing he'll get hell from Erza once she figures out he's broken into the girl's dorm. The sun's still shining harshly, like a smile that's too wide and doesn't quite reach the eyes.

(He decides he hates it and pulls his shirt off, because it's the middle of summer and damn everything if Gray Fullbuster was expected to keep all his clothes on in this kind of weather.)

The dorm is a nice place, spacious with a huge sign broadcasting 'FAIRY HILLS' on the front, a few trees dotting the landscape. It seems to have been repainted— _seven years!_ —and remodeled, now a light mauve color.

* * *

Juvia's room isn't that difficult to find, one at the end of the second floor's hallway, so he sneaks in and places a shaking hand on the doorknob, breath caught in his chest.

Somehow, it dissolves into Gray being pressed against the wall— _isn't that familiar_ —with Juvia on her knees and doing wonderful things to his cock.

Not even Juvia's sure how it had happened. Gray had shown up at her door, a nice surprise usually but not exactly then when she had wanted some time alone, and she had given him tea—Earl Gray, that was what it was called (it had his name in it, so of course it was amazing) and it wasn't spicy chili soup—and then they had tried to hold a conversation and failed and then...then Gray had kissed her and this.

 _Well_.

"Juvia?" Gray looks so... _delicious_  then, lips parted a little and eyes dark with desire, and Juvia wonders again what she'd done to deserve this, falling in love with an angel.

She pulls her mouth off him—Gray makes the tiniest whining noise—and tilts her head, the question clear in her eyes.

"Uh..." His arousal clouds his thought so it takes him a while to form a sentence. "Is something on your mind?"

 _Yes, yes there is, I need to know if you_ —"No, why would you think that?" Then she does things with her tongue that make Gray's toes curl, to shut him up because Juvia really does not want to think right now.

His legs shudder as he bucks his hips, scratching the back of Juvia's throat, and he just  _stops_ , head thrown back and bashing into the wall. Juvia splutters on the warm liquid that suddenly fills her throat. She could hear Gray's low moan, reverberating softly through the air, and forces herself to swallow.

It's absolutely disgusting, but Juvia deals with it anyway, because it's  _Gray_  and Gray is a  _god_  and what is Juvia even doing, trying to love someone like this, when she  _knows_ —

* * *

Juvia drinks three cups of apple juice and brushes her teeth thoroughly before the taste is out of her mouth. When she returns, Gray is sitting on her couch, looking quite out of place.

After coughing awkwardly, he musters up the courage to actually say something. "You didn't have to swallow..."

"I know."

"Um."  _Can't you cooperate this once?_  "And...you have a doll of me..."  _Nice going, Fullbuster. Perfect way to start a conversation._

"Yes." She nods.

"Ah."  _Well, this is going nowhere._ He wants to say something else, but the words stick to his throat, and instead, he mumbles out, "I...should probably leave. It's the girl's dorm, and if Erza catches me..." He laughs, nervous (a  _fucking neon_  light in a moonless sky) and prepares to climb out the window.

"Wait." Before Gray can react, Juvia is above him, lips softly pressed against his through the open window. It lasts for barely five seconds, and it feels more like a dream than anything else.

"Do you...want something?" He tests the weight of a rickety pillar, relieved when it seems to hold.

 _Yes I love you I love you I love you love you love love love you so much and please tell me you love me back_ —"No...just wanted to say goodbye."

"Oh, goodbye then, Juvia."

She watches Gray slowly make his way down, eventually stuck and making a slide with his Ice Maker Magic. Even that one creation looks beautiful, plain but made of ice so sunshine makes it glow.

Gray glances up at the window, waving one last goodbye.

Juvia's heart threatens to beat out of her chest.


	3. caramade kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh...at least i'm not too late...?  
> um...also happy easter...idk...

"Gray. Come here," Erza demands, looking  _very_  scary so Gray obeys. He notices that Lucy's there, and so is Wendy, but not Natsu. Instead, Levy is in his usual spot.

 _Please don't tell me she found out about me breaking into the dorm, please don't tell me she found out about me breaking into the dorm, please don't tell me she found out about me breaking into the dorm..._  Strangely enough, Erza's expression changes, going from  _fucking scary_  to almost  _shy_ , even blushing a little.

"So...uh..." She stutters, not meeting the others' eyes.

"Wha— _Erza_? What's gotten into you?" Lucy asks, very concerned because Erza never,  _ever_  acts like this.

"Are you alright, Erza-san?" Gray decides to keep quiet, waiting for an opening to escape as the girls keep her busy. Just as he's about to move away, Erza pats—more like  _bashes_ , in her case—his shoulder, causing him to jump.

"I...girls..." She starts, and Gray nearly retorts with a remark of how he is certainly  _not_  a girl before meeting Erza's absolutely terrifying glare. "So...I have a friend..."

"You mean you, right?" Lucy can see right through her.

"Uh—no! Definitely not!"

"Riiiight..."

"Anyway...whatshouldIdoforadate?"

"What?"

"Please go slower...it's hard to understand..."

"I said...what should I do for..."

"For what?"

"A date," she whispers, face almost the same color as her hair.

* * *

"Wait...Erza, you've got a date?" Levy checks, making sure she didn't hear wrong.

"Yes, but I don't know what to do!" She wrings her hands, frustrated.

"Don't worry," Lucy proclaims, confident. "Us girls will help you!"

"Eh? Me too?" Wendy asks, embarrassed.

"I am not a  _fucking girl_!"  _Will someone notice me already?_

"Oh. Gray." Erza looks at him, disinterested. "You can go."

"Thank you, now—"

"Wait! Actually, come back."

"Stop changing your mind! Why do you need me, anyway?"

"I need a guy's opinion on how I look, of course." Erza's glare makes Gray feels like the biggest idiot in the universe.  _How was I supposed to know that?_

"First, where are you going, Erza?"

"There's a carnival in town, we were thinking of going there." She's still blushing, but seems to have controlled it somewhat.

"Okay then, you can't wear anything too uncomfortable, since you'll be walking a lot...and you don't really need anything fancy..." Levy painstakingly notes down every word Lucy says.

"Why don't you just go in your normal outfit? You look fine." Gray says, hoping to get it over with.

"I don't know, is that a good idea?"

"No!" Lucy exclaims, horrified. She leans into Grays face, pissed off. "Look, if you're trying to ruin Erza's date..."

"I—I'm not! I mean it..."

Wendy interrupts, looking down nervously. "You have an outfit under that armor, right? I think it looks nice..."

Lucy starts pacing back and forth, still bothered. "Fine. Let me see it."

Erza requips, her outer armor disappearing. "Is this...good?" She has her blue skirt on and a white top decorated with a blue bow.

"Oh, you look very pretty!" Wendy encourages.

"Yeah, I have to agree. It's kind of cute, actually."

"Hm..."

"Oh, she looks  _fine_ , Lucy. Can I leave now?" Gray is starting to get annoyed, even more so than he was before.

"No."

"But—"

"I still think it's...missing something..." Lucy tilts her head, looking for any spot or stain. "It's too plain."

"Really? Do you think so? I can change it..."

"Erza." The scarlet-haired mage turns to face Gray, unconfident. "If your date really cares about you, then he wouldn't care about how you look, or anything like that. Now,  _stop worrying_."

"I never thought of it that way..." Lucy admits, sheepish.

"So, it's fine? What—what if I ruin it? It's my first date! I don't know what to do!" Erza seems on the verge of a mental breakdown, shaking and gripping the table so hard cracks start to form.

"Calm down, Erza! You'll be fine."

"B-but..."

"I know! We'll add some jewelry!"

"Jewelry? I-I hadn't even thought of that...what do I do?" Her teeth chatter, clacking together noisily. "Should I c-cancel?"

"No!"

"Don't worry, Erza-san, we'll help you!"

Gray sighs, and takes advantage of the confusion to make his getaway, sliding next to Cana. "Why don't you help her?"

"Me? They're doing jus' fiiiine...'sides, the only boyfriend I need is right here!" She thumps the side of a barrel, presumably filled with some sort of alcoholic drink.

"Ah."  _Why am I incapable of holding conversations?_

Cana moves closer to Gray, whispering conspiratorially, "Who is it?"

"Who's what?" He orders a drink from Kinana, who rushes off to get it.

"Her date, of course!"

"Dunno. She didn't tell." Kinana comes back with a mug of orange juice, apologizing for their lack of drinks and explaining that they hadn't restocked since Cana's last binge. Gray sighs and waves her off, reassuring her that it didn't matter.

"You have failed me, Gray Fullbuster." She stares straight into his eyes, dead serious.

"Failed what?"

"I told you to figure out who he was!"  _Are you a complete idiot?_  her expression reads.

"You never—"

Just then, Juvia enters the guild, calling out, "Gajeel-kun?"

"He's off on a request. Lily's with him," Levy answers.

"Oh...Juvia was hoping we could go on a request..." Juvia holds a request paper in one hand, dejected.

"Why? You usually go with him?" Gray asks.

"Sometimes. Mostly Juvia goes alone, but Juvia wanted to do this one together...but he's not here..." She turns to leave.

"Wait! I-I'll go with you!" Gray stands up, stuttering. Cana smirks.

"Really? You would do that for Juvia?" Juvia's smile is so pure and happy, a shining ray of sunlight. "Thank you so much, Gray-sama!"

* * *

On the path, Juvia stops, grabbing Gray's hand.

He flinches from the unexpected contact, but doesn't try to escape Juvia's grip. "What is it?" His hand fills with an odd sort of warmth, but he decides he likes it and intertwines his fingers with Juvia's, walking a little closer to her.

The action doesn't go unnoticed by the water mage, who looks off to one side, heat rising to her face. "C-can we go to the carnival? Juvia heard there's one in town, it'll be fun!"

"Now? Aren't we doing a request?" Not that he minded, but there was the possibility of running into Erza and her mysterious date. _I guess I might get to figure out who after all._

"The town's far away; Juvia wants to start in the morning. Can't we just...relax?" Her face is pink; she's obviously flustered by even asking something this trivial.

It's absolutely adorable, and Gray stores a picture in his mind, of a blushing Juvia wearing a pale yellow sundress—there's a blue butterfly design right above her breast, matching the clip on her hat—a shy smile lighting up her face.

How could he refuse anything to a face like that? "Sure, why not?"

* * *

When they arrive at the carnival, it's early evening and Gray is shirtless. "Gray-sama, your clothes..." Juvia points out.

"What about them?" He starts using his Maker Magic to generate a cold mist around himself, because it's just too damn  _hot_.

Juvia blushes, trying not to stare at Gray's bare chest (he's well-built of course, and summer's given him a nice tan) instead mumbling something incoherent.

"Mm, speaking of clothes...what's with yours?"

"H-huh? Is there something wrong with them? Juvia didn't leave the price tag on this time..."

"Nah, just you don't usually wear those kinds of clothes. Not that I'm complaining."

"Ah, Juvia was thinking it would be a nice change..." Actually, a few of the girls at Fairy Hills had forced her to, but she'd never let Gray know that, of course. "Do you like it?"

"Me? Yeah, looks nice. You should wear yellow more."

"Really? Uh, I'll try _?" I wasn't expecting him to notice..._

"Yeah, really. Now," he says, looking around. "Where'd you want to go first?"

"Juvia's not sure...what do you want, Gray-sama?"

"Uh, let's eat first, then think about it?" He grabs Juvia's hand, dragging her off. Juvia blushes at the contact. "How 'bout Caramade Franks?"

Juvia's blush turns even brighter, remembering her first time eating them. "Uh, Juvia's not hungry! You can have them..."

He looks at her, thinking, but shrugs. "Eh, suit yourself." Gray banters for a while with the vendor about the price, but eventually buys one, grumbling about how much he paid. He leads Juvia over to a small table for two, and starts eating while Juvia sits uncomfortably, hands crossed over her lap.

"You want some?" Juvia looks up hearing Gray's voice, and shakes her head mutely. "C'mon, don't be shy..." He rips off a small piece, holding it in front of her lips. "Just one?" And Juvia can't refuse anything to Gray, because Gray is just that  _perfect_ , a _god_ , she thinks, and opens her mouth, enough for the ice mage to push the piece in.

Her face turns pink at being fed, but she chews slowly, enjoying the sweetness. Gray watches, caramel-covered lips quirking upwards into a smile. "See, you like it, don't you?" Juvia nods, and Gray takes out another piece, placing it to her lips with sticky fingers. "Want more?" he asks, teasing.

Juvia's blush couldn't have turned redder, but it does as she bites into the piece, lips a millimeter away from touching Gray's fingers. "You should get one for yourself...if you really want one, I'll buy it for you." She shakes her head, and Gray checks, "You sure? You seemed to like them."

"Uh, yes. I mean, yes, I'm sure. That Juvia doesn't want one," she clarifies, and leans over the small table to kiss him.

Gray's shocked for a second, but returns it, tongue flicking out to taste the caramel sweetness on her lips. It's addicting, he thinks, so he deepens the kiss, lips parting—

Juvia breaks off, breathing heavily, leaving Gray dazed. "Caramel," she says, as way of explanation. "On your lips."

Gray touches his fingers, still sticky, to his mouth. "Oh...I'll be...washing my hands now..." He slips away, leaving Juvia alone with a lump in her throat.

* * *

When he returns, Juvia has her head down, ocean hair falling to cover her eyes. Gray places a hand on her shoulder, shaking gently. "Juvia?"

She mumbles something, then repeats it louder. "I...I'm sorry."

Gray pushes away the blue covering her with his other hand, tilting her head up to face him. Her eyes have a faint trace of red, and he gulps, feeling a little like a monster. "For what?" he asks, voice soft. There are people staring at them, and he fights the urge to tell them  _fuck off_ , because he knows they're making Juvia uncomfortable.

"For...kissing you?" It sounds like a question, because Juvia simply doesn't understand why Gray is still here. "I shouldn't have, not when you didn't—"

"Want it?" Juvia confirms it with a nod. "Why would you think I didn't want it?"

"You  _left_  me," she whispers, an unspoken 'alone' hanging at the end. "Like you were... _disgusted_ —"

"I liked it," he interrupts. "The kiss, that is." His cheeks flush, because saying that out loud isn't exactly easy. "Really."

"Oh..." Juvia smiles, small and shaky but there's a spark of pure happiness hidden in it that makes Gray want to kiss her, so he does, a soft brush of lips like an electric tingle. Her smile is even brighter when they break apart, and Gray decides  _fuck everything_  because he kisses her again, the crowd around them dissolving into blurred shapes as he loses himself in their own world.


	4. cascade

Gray cannot say this request was easy.

Actually, that's wrong. The request by itself was fairly easy; just to capture the head of this criminal organization.

What he wasn't expecting was for his followers to track them for days on end, constantly launching ambushes along their path. It was exhausting, having to be constantly alert. Juvia's uninjured for the most part due to her water body, but her magic supply's nearly depleted, and he's covered in a multitude of various scratches and gashes, none too serious but enough to warrant a day's rest. "That's..." he pants out, "the last of them?" He leans heavily on Juvia's shoulder, seconds away from falling asleep standing up.

"Juvia hopes so..." She stops at a sluggish river, Gray collapsing next to her.

Juvia bends down, taking greedy gulps of the water while Gray tries to control his racing heart. "That safe?"

"It's clean," she confirms. "Really clean, for river water."

The brief stop's given him some energy, so Gray forces himself up with a groan, fatigue threatening to overwhelm him, supporting himself on a fallen tree. "You're hurt?" Juvia asks, worried.

"Nah, just really...tired."

"We'll stay here then," she decides. "Over there." She points to a clump of felled trees, falling in a way that created a sort of roof.

"It's only morning—"

"You need  _rest_ , Gray-sama."

"Fine, fine," he grumbles like a stubborn child, then takes a look at his surroundings. "Whoa...this place..."

"Looks like a tornado blew through here..."

"Or a Natsu." The trees for miles around have all fallen, and the grass is short, too short, like it's recently been burned down. "How'd we—"

"Not notice this? Too busy running."

"Mm, so let's go?" Gray stands up without the tree's support, legs suddenly collapsing under him. He nearly falls, Juvia catching him at the last second.

"Are you—"

"'m fine. Just need...few hours...rest..." He blinks, fighting the urge to close his eyes.

Juvia looks at him for a few seconds, calculating, and then heaves him over her shoulder, sprinting towards their temporary refuge. Gray can't do much but let his feet drag on the ground uselessly.

When they reach the cluster of trees, Juvia unceremoniously drops Gray on the ground. He yelps in pain and considers complaining but sleep is too appealing, so he curls up right there, bugs and dirt be damned, and closes his eyes. Juvia mutters something about how he needs to lose weight, rubbing her shoulder, but it's lost in his exhausted haze.

He does become more alert when he feels slender fingers gently caress his stomach, then dipping lower. "Hrm?"

"Oh!" Juvia stops at being caught, hurriedly explaining, "You—you're hurt, so Juvia thought she should..." Her voice drops to an embarrassed mumble, but Gray is now coherent to understand.

"Ah, that..."

"If you don't want—"

"'m fine with it." Juvia sighs in relief, and slides down his slacks, leaving him with only his boxers. It doesn't bother him; in fact, it helps with the heat, so he quickly loses himself to the call of his dreams, lulled by the sound of Juvia's quiet humming.

* * *

His wounds are dressed when Gray wakes, so Juvia must have stuck to her word, but strangely enough, said water mage is nowhere in sight. He stands and stretches, wincing at the soreness, and heads out to find her.

It's late afternoon when Gray finally catches sight of her, based on the sun's position and the heat that came with this time (mostly the heat) and— _oh_.

Juvia's clothes have been discarded, spread out on a rock nearby, and she is...

Gray's mouth goes dry and his cheeks flush dark crimson when he sees Juvia, completely exposed with the soft rays of sunlight illuminating her form. Sapphire hair cascades down past her shoulders, much like the river she's currently bathing in, and her eyes are closed as she skillfully manipulates the water to wash away every speck of grime.

It's a scene out of a fucking fairytale— _fairytail_ , he thinks, and nearly laughs—with Juvia as a water sprite, blending in perfectly with the river and the nature around her. Gray sneaks over, stepping into the river with barely a splash. Juvia doesn't notice, absorbed in her magic.

She does notice when Gray wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him, and starts in fright. "Wh-who—" The water she had been controlling falls back into the slow-moving river with a splash, drenching both of them.

"It's me, Juvia," he reassures in a husky whisper, lips murmuring against her neck. Impulsively, he gives an open-mouthed kiss to that spot, dropping one hand to trace lazy patterns on her side. Juvia's still wound tighter than a spring, so Gray asks, "Are you...uncomfortable?"

It takes a while before he hears an audible answer. "No, just...surprised. It's...alright." Her answer is an unconfident mumble, and Gray considers pausing when Juvia quickly turns, pushes him away, then pulls him back, chests touching and legs intertwined. "But I..." She looks up, ocean eyes meeting orbs of dark ice, and Gray can see the unfinished statement in them. Their lips come together in a messy kiss, embracing each other and heat swelling within them.

Gray breaks it and nuzzles into her neck, nose buried in her hair. Her scent is light, washed away with the water, but still with a hint of a refreshing sea breeze.

He starts at the base of her neck, tongue flicking out to lick the smooth skin. Juvia takes a shuddering breath when Gray bites down, gently enough so it won't leave a mark. She really is beautiful, mystical even, with every inch of her body covered in clear water droplets, flowing and creating microscopic streams down her breasts. They converge at one point, a liquid bead hovering on her nipple, which Gray drinks in with flat swipes of his tongue. Juvia arches into the touch, an ' _ah_ ' escaping her lips. " _Gray_...it's not enough—I want... _more_."

"More?" Gray considers the request, blushing when he understands. "R-right..." It was one thing to do... _this_ , but... _that_  was in a completely different level. Of course, there was really no stopping now, not with how far they've come.

_(but that doesn't fix anything)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *runs*


	5. sunshine breaking through

"Turn around, then." Juvia does exactly that, and Gray kneels, leaning into her back, breath warm on damp skin. His chin's almost touching water, the rest of his body is submerged with the currents gently caressing him. Gray shivers, and wonders if Juvia is controlling them, an extension of her hands slowly teasing the restraint out of him. "Juvia..." he says with a breathy sigh.

"What is it, Gray-sama?"

"The river...are you...?"

"Oh, you noticed..." She's flustered, and he finds it incredibly cu— _sexy_.  _Yeah, that's the word._  "Juvia thought that she should do something for you, too... Do you...like it?"

"Heh...it's interesting, alright." He reaches around her, submerging one hand to spread her thighs. It's odd, to say the least, because Juvia's entire lower half is below water level, and he supposes that when they get out, they'll both be horribly wrinkled. Then again, Juvia's magic might be able to counteract—

"Hurry up," she implores—no, it's a  _demand_ , and Gray would be a liar if he said that didn't turn him on. He slips one finger in, slowly, earning himself a mewl. Adding another only gives him a slight arch of her back, but the third draws out an elongated moan of his name. The sounds just add to his arousal, and Gray takes a sharp breath when he realizes that it's  _him_  causing Juvia to act in such an alluring way.

"Juvia—" he chokes out, because the river suddenly starts running erratically, his cock throbbing from the variable pressure. His hand moves involuntarily, pressing against Juvia in ways that make her buck her hips, wanting to feel the same rush again. Gray's surprised by the reaction, but catches on quickly and twists his wrist just so—

Juvia bends backward this time, nearly falling over if Gray's other hand hadn't steadied her. "Careful."

"A-ah..." The next minutes pass by in a blur, Gray's movements making obscene wet noises, and the currents slow as Juvia loses all her focus. She's so  _warm_  around his hand, and he imagines how amazing it would feel to actually be inside her. "I'm  _ready_ , Gray."

"Huh...y'know, it's kinda weird how we got stuck here," he says, avoiding their predicament (which was impossible, but hey, he could try.) "Think we're lost?"

"Your fault.  _You distract me..._ " she says, in a tone that's almost— _seductive_?

 _Damn_. Juvia was attractive enough  _without even trying_ , but now...she was absolutelycaptivating. He stands up abruptly, disturbing the water, and pushes Juvia under.

Juvia splutters, which comes out as bubbles of air rising to the surface. She stops herself from hitting the riverbed, and twists to look into Gray's cobalt eyes, curious but not particularly angry.

He bends down pulls her closer to the surface, the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance. "You sure 'bout this?"

" _Yes_ ," she says, voice distorted by the water, and he slides in, a deep sound emanating from the back of his throat from the blinding heat surrounding him.

Juvia pulls him even closer, so his nose barely touches water. It finally occurs to him that they're having sex in a fucking  _river_ , but he doesn't really care how ridiculous it is right now, because Juvia is really fucking beautiful and he's an idiot for not realizing it sooner. Her hair floats around her in blue waves, and she's perfect like that, engulfed in her element.

She  _smiles_  at him, shy but encouraging, and Gray bends to kiss her, hoping that she feels even the slightest bit like he does right now. "You," she says, when they break apart for hair—and somehow Juvia's hand is tangled in his hair and it  _pulls_ , the pleasure-pain jolting his already hypersensitive nerves—"should  _stop_ ," she finishes.

"S-stop?" And his mind is on overload, worrying that  _is this what she wants, oh God, I'm wrong—_

"Stop  _stopping_. Just—do something,  _please_." She brings herself closer to him, her breasts pressing against him. He shivers, and bucks his hips.

The reaction is immediate. Juvia's eyes widen, and her grip tightens, twisting his black locks. Her other hand scratches his back, not hard enough to cut but it still stings. "Do you…like that?"

" _Yes._ Just— _don't you dare stop, Gray_." How is he even supposed to when she sounds like  _that_?

"Don't plan to." Gray pulls out only to thrust back in with one smooth motion, Juvia arching into him. His hands find and shamelessly grope her breasts, rolling a nipple between thumb and forefinger gently. She moans, sound escaping in a bubble that pops when it reaches the surface. They face into a graceless rhythm, Juvia's eyes closed underwater, mouth open in a silent sort-of-scream, and Gray's teeth clenched together, because making any sound is just—weird, okay, but it's really hard when Juvia keeps—

He twists his head, tilting Juvia's up for a kiss. It's messy and Juvia tastes like river-water, but Juvia is moaning, causing lovely little vibrations, and Gray thinks he forgot how to breathe, just then.

It ends all too quickly, and Juvia  _comes_ , nails carving crescents onto his back, mouth open in a silent scream. A sudden heat envelopes him, everything turns blurry, and all he can see clearly is  _Juvia_ , Juvia's eyes open wide with his bluish reflection barely visible, her pale neck exposed with her river hair curling around it, suspended in the water like a spirit, and his world turns white and blue and black, and  _shatters_.

* * *

When Juvia wakes up, it's  _warm_. The setting sun shines on her back, and she's pressed into Gray's chest, his arms wrapped around her. She snuggles back into him, eyes closed, because something about this atmosphere makes her want to sleep even though she's just woken up. It doesn't last, because the tiniest movement causes Gray to wake, blinking until he looks at her. "Juvia…"

She wants to say something, really, because she  _needs_  to know what Gray is thinking, even if he despises her. But she finds herself mute, unable to come up with a decent response. "Uh…how do you…feel?"

"Juvia feels…sticky."

Gray blushes. "Yeah…you wanna clean up? I'll stay here, if you want."

"Why don't you come with Juvia?" she asks.

"You okay with that?"

She laughs. "After what we just did…"

"Oh, that. Right." After a second of indecision, he grabs her hand—she turns pink—and lets himself be dragged the short distance to the river. Their clothes are still on a rock on the riverbank, and the sunset turns the water into liquid fire.

She steps in, and sinks below the water, using her magic to wash herself. "Do you want Juvia to do this for you too, Gray-sama?"

"Eh?" He blushes, remembering how she had used the water last time. "No, I'm fine."

"Juvia won't—"

"I know." He stumbles, unbalanced by a small dip in the riverbed. The water instantly thickens around him, saving him from falling. "Thanks, Juvia."

"I-it's nothing…" Juvia sinks underwater, blowing bubbles that pop when they surface. She murmurs something that Gray can barely hear, but it stabs through him all the same.

_"I thought…"_

"…what did you just say?" He swallows, blinking.

"Gray-sama?"

"What did you say?" he repeats.

"I-I…nothing!"

"Tell me what you said."

"Nothing."

"Tell me what you said!"

"Juvia didn't say anything!" She's glaring at him, and all of Gray's anger disappears, leaving him drained. He falls onto his knees, only with his nose above water and bangs falling into his eyes.

"Juvia…fuck, why won't you say  _anything_?" He wrings his hands helplessly. "I'm  _trying_ ,  _okay_ , but…"

Juvia bends down, grasping his shoulders. "Juvia's…not really good at talking…" she confesses, voice not even a whisper.

He lets out a breath he'd unconsciously been holding. "Heh…I'm not going to leave you, y'know," he says, almost offhandedly.

"Gr-Gray-sama…heard?" His only response is a sad smile and a small nod. "Juvia is sorry…I didn't mean—"

"You  _did_ , Juvia, and I don't even blame you. If I was you, I'd probably be the same." He rubs his eyebrow, which is oddly…cute? "'s alright. We good, now?" He steps out of the river, holding out a hand to help her out.

"Yes." Juvia's a bit surprised to find herself so confident, but she can't help but think  _this will last forever, I'll keep it that way, I promise_.

"What d'you wanna do now?"

"Maybe…our clothes?" Gray flushes to the tips of his ears, and turns around, mumbling out a "tell me when you're done."

"Maybe you could…help me into them?" Juvia asks, perfectly innocent, her breath tickling his ear.

Gray turns crimson and stutters incoherently, sidestepping away from her. Juvia laughs, something she hasn't done in a while, and Gray can't help but join her, because laughter is infectious and they're both laughing like idiots, the glow of their happiness brighter than the sun itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...huh  
>  well that's that...
> 
>  
> 
> don't look at me i can't write endings...

**Author's Note:**

> post one chapter every day probably...


End file.
